Grenfell Preschool

Grenfell Preschool South Green Memorial Hall, Southend Road, BILLERICAY, Essex, CM11 2PR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/10/2013 23/11/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Practitioners have high expectations of children and consistently reinforce the pre- school's rules with them in a sensitive manner. As a result, children develop self- confidence and are very well behaved.  Children are consistently supported to learn, develop and make good progress. This is because practitioners are knowledgeable and make good use of their observations and assessments of the children to plan challenging activities.  Effective relationships between practitioners and parents ensure that children's needs are met and that the children settle into the pre-school very well.  Children have varied opportunities to develop their competence and independence as they self-register, hang up their coat and attend to their personal hygiene.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The organisation of the book corner does not fully inspire children to share books during their play.  There is scope to further enhance the outdoor provision to create a more stimulating environment.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the teaching of a small group of children.  The inspector held discussions with the manager and members of staff.  The inspector viewed a sample of the children's files.  The inspector saw evidence of suitability and qualifications of the staff.  The inspector reviewed a selection of policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of the parents, children and staff.

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Information about the setting

Grenfell Pre-school was registered in 1972 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a large hall in Billericay, Essex and is managed by Grenfell Pre-school Partnership. The pre-school serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the main hall and there is a secure area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The pre-school employs six members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. The pre-school opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 9.15am to 11.45am on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 9.15am to 3pm on Tuesday and Friday, with lunch club from 11.45am to 12.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 35 children attending who are in the early years age group. The pre-school provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 support children's enjoyment of literacy further by reviewing the organisation of the book corner, in order to inspire children to share and enjoy books

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 review the use of the outdoor play area in order to provide children with a longer period and more opportunities to explore and use their senses in a stimulating outdoor environment.

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who attend

Children come eagerly into the pre-school and their learning begins immediately. They choose their name to self-register and take delight as they put it into the box, saying 'in the box'. The children find their name on coat hangers and develop skills to promote independence as they hang up their coats. The pre-school has a wide variety of activities and toys for the children to choose from and which provides challenge. Consequently, children are eager to take part in the activities on offer. The routine provides children with blocks of free play as well as time for more adult-led structured learning. During free play the children choose to use the climbing frame and complete age-appropriate puzzles developing their physical skills. They are able to play in the home corner and with small cars supporting the development of their imagination. At circle time children are focused during adult-initiated learning. They enhance their communication and language skills as

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who attend

they sing songs and develop different strategies to count. They develop their listening and attention skills as they hear practitioners model the reply 'I am here' to the register and take part when it is their turn. Children are further supported in their language and communication development through the use of sign language and signs in the environment. Further signs in the environment support practitioners' and children's knowledge of how they are able to communicate.

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who attend

There are comprehensive systems in place for understanding children's needs and interests. When children begin at the pre-school, information is gathered from parents. This information, alongside detailed observations that are linked to developmental ages, is used to plan for children's next steps. These next steps feed into the planning and a varied curriculum is planned to ensure every child makes progress. The practitioners are knowledgeable about children's learning and through sensitive interactions children are well supported. An activity to develop children's thinking skills is sensitively supported by a practitioner. Children listen to nursery rhymes and try to work out which rhyme is being played. They are given time to work out which card to select and are praised for their efforts. Children that need more support are ably assisted by the practitioner as she alters tasks according to their ability. Children are learning to listen and think in a supportive

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who attend

atmosphere, which develops their self-confidence. Regular story times are shared with the children and they enjoy joining in with the story supporting their literacy development. However, the way that the book corner is currently organised does not encourage children to select books themselves, as it is not as warm and inviting as the rest of the pre-school. Therefore scope exists to encourage children's enjoyment of books further by reviewing how books are displayed and accessed by the children.

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who attend

Regular contact with outside professionals ensures that all children make steady progress towards the early learning goals. Children with identified needs are supported when they attend the setting and the management team is proactive at providing further support where necessary. The progress check at age two is completed by the pre-school and identifies further learning for children aged between two and three years. Regular communication with parents and sharing of children's learning files ensures that children's development is supported in the pre-school and at home. Children therefore make good progress and are well supported for the next stage in their learning.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children enjoy their time at the pre-school and develop close relationships with the practitioners. There is an effective key person arrangement and children's individual needs are fully supported by this process. They are keen to share news from home and this is supported as individual children make a card for a new sibling. As a result children know they are worthwhile and develop good self-esteem. Parents are able to talk with practitioners on a regular basis as they come into the pre-school with the children. Children's well-being is therefore supported as there are regular exchanges of information. The pre-school is arranged so that children continually have opportunities to develop skills to promote independence. They self-register, hang up their coats, help themselves to drinks and attend to practices developing good hygiene. For example, a child takes a tissue to wipe their nose, flushes it away in the toilet and washes their hands

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

independently. The children are knowledgeable about why they do this and are competent at carrying out these tasks.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The practitioners are deployed extremely well and children's needs are met as they are always close by to the children and readily available to listen and help. There are rules that are consistently applied and these are complemented by visual aids throughout the pre-school as well as songs. The children sing 'I can do good sitting, good looking, good listening' and they understand what is expected of them. The practitioners also use puppets during story time to further capture children's attention. This also strengthens the rules as children are captivated by the puppet and consequently, children are very well behaved. They are polite and this is reinforced during circle time as they are encouraged to say 'thank you' as the musical instruments are handed out. The children have the opportunity for fresh air and exercise as they use the outdoor play space. They enjoy the ride-on cars and tricycles and develop their physical skills. Children also develop

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

knowledge about risk as they are supported to use the cars safely. There is plenty of opportunity for social engagement as they take turns filling up the bird feeders, as well as learning about nature. The outdoor environment however is not as well resourced as the indoors. Scope therefore exists to refine this aspect of the provision to support children's exploration and play.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Parents explain that children enjoy eating their packed lunches at the pre-school and this prepares them for transition to school. Practitioners support families to provide healthy lunches through guidance in regular newsletters. Children are learning about healthy eating as they sit with practitioners who also eat their packed lunches and discuss healthy options. Practitioners are very good role models and subsequently, children sit well at lunchtime in a very calm atmosphere. Snack time also provides an opportunity to learn about healthy eating and apples, brought from a child's tree at home, are shared with friends. Children learn about the diverse world they live in through regular topics that include Diwali and bonfire night. Transitions from home to pre-school are very well supported and the parents explain that their children have settled very well. This is because there is very good communication between the pre-school and parents. The pre-

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

school engages parents in sharing information between the pre-school and other settings when a child attends more than one. This contributes to children's continuity of care and learning. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their development through the positive attitude and knowledge of the practitioners.

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provision

The manager monitors the curriculum so that the seven areas of learning are covered. Children's needs are fully met and their next steps feed into the planning so that it is relevant and interesting to every child. Practitioners evaluate activities to highlight children's learning and identify areas for further development. This is then used to further develop children's learning by incorporating this into the next week's planning. Children are therefore supported to make good progress as all practitioners have a sound knowledge of how children learn. The practitioners can identify children who may need further help and the special educational needs co-ordinator is proactive at sourcing appropriate interventions. Information is shared between the pre-school and outside professionals and this information supports all children to make good progress.

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provision

Practitioners understand what to do in the event of a child protection concern and how to keep children safe. There is an agreed policy and procedure for the storage of personal mobile phones and photographs are taken using the pre-school's designated camera. The safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage are therefore understood well. The relevant policies are in place and this contributes to protecting children. Policies are updated regularly and read by staff and parents. Regular risk assessments are conducted to ensure that the premises are safe and fire drills are practised. There is a very low turnover of staff, however, the manager fully understands safe recruitment procedures. The staff team is dedicated to improving practice for the benefit of children. The areas highlighted for improvement in the pre- school's self-evaluation are effectively addressed. For example, when parents asked for a

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provision

regular summary of their child's achievements, staff provided these. The pre-school also purchased rain ponchos and boots for wet outdoor play when this was identified as an area of practice to improve. The pre-school's next improvement is to renew the outdoor toys in order to support children's physical skills. Improvements identified therefore take into account the views of the parents and children, which ensure there is a beneficial impact on children.

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provision

The practitioners are knowledgeable and competent in their roles and attend regular training. Annual appraisals and supervision meetings highlight training needs and training is disseminated to the team at staff meetings. The manager attends meetings with other providers ensuring that the pre-school keeps up to date with new initiatives contributing to meeting the needs of all children. There is a well-established path of sharing information so that practitioners build on their good practice and children continue to be supported. Partnerships with parents are strong and they speak highly of the pre-school and welcome the contribution the practitioners make to their children's learning and well-being.

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provision

The pre-school maintains effective contact with parents through newsletters, emails and text messages. There is also a parent forum, where policies are discussed and updated. Open days are held to provide working parents with an opportunity to develop a relationship with the pre-school. This ensures that parents are well informed about their children's progress.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 402165 Local authority Essex Inspection number 877132

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 35 Name of provider Grenfell Pre-School Partnership Date of previous inspection 23/11/2009 Telephone number 01277 652366

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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